F200/F175 or smaller?

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by Lordwrench

. . . CG/power balance is worth infinitely more pleasure in the long run living with it for years compared to saving a few coins in the pocket on the deal of the week . . .

Excellent advice! I originally planned to go with a 4-stroke in 2006 when I repowered and really looked hard at all competing motors. I put together a spreadsheet comparing details of all the motors in the 115-150 hp class. (Can e-mail a copy if you send me an address.) As a mechanical engineer, I was most impressed by the 417 lb 140 Zuke, with it's chain driven cams and clever offset driveshaft/crankshaft which provides extra gear reduction without the additional drag of a larger bullet on the lower unit. A local guy offered me a new 140 JohnZukie for about $9K that I almost bought, but his shop was a mess and he sounded like he was from the Bronx, so I passed. (He's now in prison - evidently was a very accomplished scam artist!) However, the Zukes remain my favorite 4-stroke motor because of the unique features they've incorporated to address the valve train complexity and lack of midrange torque common to all the 4-strokes. The bigger displacement 150/175 Zukes have the same advantages but they're much heavier, close to 500 lbs when you look at wet weight with 6-7 qts of oil on board, and numerous Bahama trips with heavy loads convinced me that the 20' hull definitely rides and handles better when you keep the CG where it was designed to be!

I then started looking at the E-TECs and spoke to the BRP engineers at the Miami Boat show in 2004, 5 & 6. They had been watching the problems with the early Optimax and FICHT's for several years and because of their experience with DI 2-S snowmobile engines, were confident they understood the causes and how to fix them. They just waited for OMC to go belly up so they could buy the company for pennies on the dollar! In the meantime, a colleague I had worked with at Pratt & Whitney for many years had left P&W to become the Chief Engineer at OMC's test center in Stuart, Fl., and was there during the transition to BRP. I spoke to him and he said OMC's quality control really went to hell in the late 90's as their financial situation became increasingly desperate, causing them to buy off all sorts of deviated parts from suppliers! He said BRP really cleaned house, threw out all the bad parts, and he was very impressed with the management and engineering team they brought in. He said anything built by BRP was top quality and that I shouldn't worry because the company was trying to overcome the FICHT's bad reputation with extraordinary product support, so they were really standing behind the new motors. So I took a chance on the E-TEC, and have been very pleasantly surprised! After almost 9 years and over 550 hrs, the instant starts, awesome mid-range torque, smooth, quiet operation, low fuel consumption, and lack of problems is still impressing me. Because of it's torque at 3000-4500 rpm, it's actually quieter than the 4-strokes because it doesn't have to be wound up so high - it's nice to be able to converse normally at 30 kts! Although the Optimax appears to be slight better on fuel consumption, I didn't seriously consider it because it's just as loud as the 1975 Evinrude I'd been running for 31 years and I was tired of all that noise! The 2.6L small block V-6 E-TEC is about the same weight as the 140 Zuke, but with 155 cubic inches vs. 122 cu. in. on the Zuke, it's a MUCH stronger motor that doesn't have to work hard at all to push the 20' hull. The 115/130 hp V-4's are also plenty of power for the 20, and used to be only about 375 lbs, but are now up to about 390 lbs, so not much lighter than the small V-6; they're probably running the V-6 lower unit. You might also find some very good deals on the 135 HO, which is just a slightly detuned 150. Most of the E-TEC's actually put out about 10% more HP at the prop than advertised, so be advised that there's serious sandbagging on the power ratings!

When you're shopping, also don't overlook maintenance costs, especially the valve lash adjustments required on some motors at about 600 hrs! Most all the engine makers offer special deals/extended warranties this time of year. I got a 7 year warranty with mine.